ESSO Petroleum Company Limited is seeking views about the proposed corridors for its replacement fuel pipeline - including two possible new routes through Farnham town centre and surrounding countryside.

The current underground pipeline supplies aviation fuel to some of the UK’s busiest airports and runs 65 miles from Esso’s Fawley refinery near Southampton to its west London terminal storage facility in Hounslow, passing through Alton as it links up with the Alton pumping station on the A31 at Upper Froyle.

Seventeen corridors were developed initially, six were then shortlisted and the project team has potentially identified pipeline corridors, one leading to and one from the Alton pumping station, as best fitting the guiding principles.

Two of these corridors pass through the Farnham area: Corridor ‘Q’ through the countryside to the south of the town via Frensham before linking back up with the A31 at Runfold, and the other ‘M’ skirting the northern edge of the town centre passing within metres of Grade I-listed Farnham Castle.

Other possible options, all of which broadly follow the existing pipeline where possible, take the pipeline away from Farnham entirely.

One of these, Esso’s favoured corridor ‘J’, continues to follow the existing route through Hampshire and Surrey via Crondall, taking into account features that weren’t built or protected when the pipeline was built in the 1960s.

In explaining the need for the work, Esso points out that pipelines are considered a safe, secure and low impact way to transport fuel, and “this pipeline will continue to keep an estimated 100 road tankers off the road each day”.

The pipeline itself is relatively small, with an internal diameter of around 30cm, but corridors are typically around 200 metres wide.

Tim Sunderland, Southampton to London pipeline project executive, is urging residents and landowners to participate in the consultation. He added: “The existing pipeline was built in the late 1960s. Since then, Hampshire and Surrey have changed dramatically. The South Downs National Park and many other protected sites have been established alongside the existing pipeline.

“We need to identify a corridor that will minimise interruption to local communities and have better environmental outcomes versus the other options considered.”

Esso intends to consult on the chosen route in the autumn. It will then submit its application for permission to install the replacement pipeline to the planning inspectorate and the Secretary of State.

This initial consultation period began on March 19 and closes on April 30.

As part of this, an exhibition will be held at Wrecclesham Community Centre in Greenfield Road on Saturday, April 7, from 11am to 5pm where people will be able to talk to members of the team about the proposals.

To have your say on the project go to www.slpproject.co.uk.

Esso is also set to close a section of Grange Road in Tilford from Good Friday to April 24 to “excavate and make repairs” to its existing pipeline. For details visit www.roadworks.org.